There are no quick-fix ways for how
to get sober fast, and there is not one simple formula for staying sober
either. But whether you are looking to get sober or maintain your current state
of sobriety, there are definite obstacles that must be overcome, and goals that
must be set (and met) for your greatest chance at success, and they are as
follows:
1. Get
honest with yourself.
Let
us start with our first bit of honesty; Addicts lie. They lie to themselves, they lie
to friends and family members, and they lie to colleagues. They lie to preserve
their addiction and avoid confrontation, they lie out of shame and denial, and
they lie out of a fear of reality.
In
the depths of addiction, lying to yourself about the severity of the problem is
very common. And of course, accepting the fact that you have a problem is the
first step to getting the help and treatment that you need. But recovering
addicts lie in sobriety as well. Many will tell themselves that they are fine
now, that they can go back to old friends, old hangouts and be completely
comfortable without using drugs or having a drink. This is very rarely the
actual case. The desire in these cases to get back to a ‘normal life' may be
overpowering the truth that is deep down inside — you cannot go back to those
places without desires to use.
Being
honest with yourself is scary, but you need to have faith that deep down inside
you really do know what you need — whether you like what the answer is or not.
Being honest is difficult, but it is incredibly important
for sustainable sobriety.
2. Have
an open, creative mind.
You
may be able to get sober without an open mind, but an
open mind is necessary for lasting sobriety. For addicts
new to recovery, sobriety is a scary thought. It is an entirely new world. You
have to find new ways to fill your time, and new places to make your hangouts.
Literally everything has changed around you, and it is this feeling that can
often spiral addicts into relapse.
Having
an open mind, however, can help you ease into this new world a little bit
easier. Counsellors and sponsors may suggest things to you that at the time you
feel are completely unrelated to recovery. But listen to them. Try everything
they suggest. Come
at all new things with an open mind.
Yes, it will be easier to push these new ideas away, but that type of mindset
will set you up to struggle with and possibly fail at sobriety.
3.
Overcome complacency.
All
too often, recovering addicts fall into a life of complacency. They are no
longer using drugs or alcohol, but they are no longer growing as a person
either. Complacency can often result in relapse if unattended.
Think
of it this way: If you sit around all day smoking cigarettes, eating junk food
and watching TV, you might not be using drugs or alcohol, but you are not
bettering your life in any way either. If instead you get outside, eat healthy,
get physically fit, join some classes or engage in some hobbies — you are less
likely to relapse because you have ‘farther to fall' so to speak. Being
motivated to grow
as a person each and every day will
make you less likely to slip back into negative routines.
4. Learn
to communicate.
As
addicts spiral further into their addictions, they distance themselves from
those close to them. They cover up their emotions with drugs and/or alcohol,
and essentially remove themselves from most meaningful relationships. In an
essence, they have lost proper communication skills. In some cases, the addict
did not have these skills in the first place, which drew them into substance
abuse as a way of self-medicating.
Almost
all relapses come from a moment of raw emotion — from anger, frustration or
sadness — and in order to avoid saying ‘screw it' and turn to drugs or alcohol
for comfort, it is important that you learn to talk through your problems.
Whether you call your sponsor, counsellor or close friend, learning good
communication skills can be the difference between relapse and sobriety.
5. Be
committed.
Nobody
said that addiction recovery was going to be easy. If you truly want to get and
stay sober, you need to be willing to put in the work. That means going to a
meeting instead of watching your favourite TV programme. It means saying
good-bye to old friends who are still using. It means every single day from
here on out, focusing on recovery. Yes, it will get easier with time. But it is
a continuous process that will last a lifetime.
6. Want
it.
You are the only person who can make the changes needed for
lasting sobriety. Getting sober because someone else wants you to is a good
reason to start the road to recovery, but lasting sobriety will only come when
it is something you really want. Write down all the ways
in which your life will improve if you succeed and post it on your bathroom
mirror or keep it in your wallet. Whenever you feel yourself on the brink of
giving up, remember the reasons you started this journey in the first place.
Addiction Treatment Centers can Help
For those already living in
sobriety, the above can serve as a guide or daily reminder to what you need to
focus on in recovery. For those who are still in the throes of addiction, it is
a good idea to speak to an alcohol and drug rehab facility to see how they can
assist in the path to recovery. For most addicts, a complete treatment
programme like Shafa Home is the only road to recovery.
Shafa Home is country’s premier organization for treatment of
alcohol/drug problems, de-addiction, rehabilitation, counseling, treatment for
females, nasha mukti, psychiatric disorders and secondary addictions like
gambling, internet etc.
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